To distinguish between the mainstream and SF novels, Banks suggested the return of the 'M', although at one stage he considered John B. After his first three mainstream novels his publishers agreed to publish his first SF novel, Consider Phlebas. Wodehouse's Jeeves novels who is a romantic novelist. The editor was also concerned about possible confusion with Rosie M. However, his editor asked if he would mind dropping the 'M' as it appeared 'too fussy'. Banks that he submitted The Wasp Factory for publication. Despite this he continued to use his unofficial middle name and it was as Iain M. His parents wished to name him Iain Menzies Banks but his father made a mistake when registering the birth and he was officially registered as Iain Banks. Interviewed on Mark Lawson's BBC Four series, first broadcast in the UK on 14 November 2006, Banks explained why his novels are published under two different names. In an interview in Socialist Review he claimed he did this after he 'abandoned the idea of crashing my Land Rover through the gates of Fife dockyard, after spotting the guys armed with machine guns.' He related his concerns about the invasion of Iraq in his book Raw Spirit, and the principal protagonist (Alban McGill) in the novel The Steep Approach to Garbadale confronts another character with arguments in a similar vein. In protest he cut up his passport and posted it to 10 Downing Street.

In late 2004, Banks was a prominent member of a group of British politicians and media figures who campaigned to have Prime Minister Tony Blair impeached following the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He was a signatory to the Declaration of Calton Hill, which calls for Scottish independence. The argument that an economy of abundance renders anarchy and adhocracy viable (or even inevitable) attracts many as an interesting potential experiment, were it ever to become testable. He lived most recently in North Queensferry, a town on the north side of the Firth of Forth near the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge.Īs with his friend Ken MacLeod (another Scottish writer of technical and social science fiction) a strong awareness of left-wing history shows in his writings. However, he announced in early 2007 that, after 25 years together, they had separated. He moved to London and lived in the south of England until 1988 when he returned to Scotland, living in Edinburgh and then Fife.īanks met his wife Annie in London, before the release of his first book.

Iain Banks was educated at the University of Stirling where he studied English Literature, Philosophy and Psychology.

Banks is a pseudonym of Iain Banks which he used to publish his Science Fiction.īanks's father was an officer in the Admiralty and his mother was once a professional ice skater.

Consider phlebas